log on to thegoan.net @thegoanonline FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 20, 2024 GOA Facebook.com/thegoan The Goan E-Paper (Playstore/IOS) 14 pages PRICE ` 10 PANAJI MARGAO GOA VOLUME X, NO. 93 Uncertainty lingers over South Goa DPC plan funding amid govt scrutiny 2 GOA Educationists cite probable reasons for decline in Goa varsity rank 3 Instagram.com/thegoanonline RNI: GOAENG/2015/65729 INFO Forehead breakouts? Here’s how to tackle them 9 CHECKMATE: BIG TICKET PROJECTS TO GO VIA CM SAWANT: NECESSARY AS PERMISSIONS NEEDED FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS THE GOAN I NETWORK page 6 Honda’s winning formula: How Shine 125 powers its motorcycle success REVIEW: Tata CURVV’s ICE variants: Redefining the SUV coupe experience IN SHORT >> Ella p’yat not to grant occupancy certificate to Old Goa bungalow PANAJI: The Bombay High Court at Goa recorded the statement of the Village Panchayat of Ella, Old Goa, that it would not grant an occupancy certificate to the disputed Old Goa bungalow on Survey No 4/1 without leave of the Court. >> See pg 3 Choreographer of Telugu film arrested MAPUSA: Telugu film choreographer Shaik Jani aka Jani Master was arrested by the Cyberabad Police in Arpora, after he was accused of sexually assaulting and harassing a 21-year-old junior choreographer.  >> See pg 5 Elderly couple duped by fake policemen MAPUSA: An elderly couple was swindled out of gold ornaments worth lakhs by two individuals impersonating as police officers at the busy Bastora junction. The couple, on their way home to Aldona were stopped by the fake cops.  >> See pg 5 Power shock for Mapusa residents MAPUSA: A routine day took a surprising turn for Manik Shirodkar. A field officer from the Mapusa electricity department knocked on her door, not for a routine check, but to disconnect her power supply.  >> See pg 3 WEATHER >> Max: 29 C Min: 23.8 C Humidity: 87% TIDES Low: High: 05:53 18:17 00:03 11:53 PANAJI Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said he will initiate a protocol by which the Town and Country Planning Department routes approvals for all big ticket real estate projects to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) henceforth. “Henceforth, as the steering committee chairman, I am going to give the suggestion to TCP to bring proposals of mega projects before CMO for approval” Sawant said in a video message which was posted on social media handles of the Department of Information and Publicity. Sawant said routing such permissions through the CMO is necessary since their nature is inter-departmental and also require nods from other departments to deal with sewerage, water supply among other infrastructural require- MPDA cites 4 complaints, issues show cause notice to Bhutani THE GOAN I NETWORK ments. Taking all departments on board at the approval juncture is crucial, he said. Citing the controversies playing out over several days in respect of permissions and  approvals granted to the massive ‘Bhutani’ project in Sancoale, Sawant said he had instructed TCP Minister, Vishwajit Rane, to scrutinise the project and its approvals and if need be shut down the project if any illegalities are found.  “If permissions such as >Continued on P5 PANAJI In a major development, the Mormugao Planning and Development Authority (MPDA) on Thursday issued show cause notice to the controversial project by M/s Parmesh Constructions Company Limited alias Bhutani Infra at Sancoale based on the complaints filed by various individuals.  The MPDA Member Secretary in the show cause notice issued has sought reply within seven days as why the Development Permissions granted to the project on February 2, 2024 should not be revoked, failing which action as deemed fit would be initiated.  The planning body has citied four complaints received against the project pointing out to various illegalities and Auto industry in the slow lane, vehicle sales drop 5-month figures paint gloomy picture VIBHA VERMA THE GOAN I PANAJI Not all is well with the automotive industry. While overall vehicle sales are gradually slowing down, electric vehicles (EVs) are also losing momentum at an alarming rate. The record for the first five months of this fiscal year explains the full story.   From April to August 2024, the number of vehicles purchased was about 2,344 units fewer than during the same period last FY. The most worrying sign, however, comes from the EV market. Once hailed as the future of transportation, its sales have plummeted -- falling to nearly a quarter of what they were during the corresponding months in 2023-24 FY. The data with The Goan reveals that in the 2023-24 FY, 59,084 non-electric vehicles were sold compared to 10,772 EVs. On an average, about 4,923 non-electric vehicles and 897 EVs were sold each month during that period. The sales were termed impressive as a shift post-Covid when the irregularities in seeking permissions and land conversions.  Earlier in the day, TCP Minister Vishwajit Rane had directed MPDA to verify and have ground check of all the representations received against the project and if found against law to issue show cause notice.  MPDA pointed out that from the drawings submitted at the >Continued on P5 Beach wedding on mind? Now shell out `  L per day 1 THE GOAN I NETWORK PANAJI In a significant hike in fees, the State government has notified that licence fees and permissions for weddings and events on beaches in Goa will now be Rs 1 lakh per day.  Until today, the fees were Rs one lakh per event of up to five days with an additional Rs 10,000 charged per day thereafter. The fees have been revised through a notification issued by the Environment Department calling it ‘scrutiny fees’ for these applications routed through the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA). Government corporations, autonomous bodies, charitable trusts, schools, institutions and for sports events, these fees will be slashed by 75 per cent. Meanwhile, parties who seek to revise their event plans already approved will be charged an additional revision of plans fee which will be 10% of the net fees charged. Separately, the environ- COSTLY AFFAIR „„Licence fees, permissions for weddings & events on beaches will now be Rs 1 lakh per day  „„For govt corporations, autonomous bodies, charitable trusts, schools, institutions and for sports events, these fees will be slashed by 75% „„Parties seeking to revise event plans already approved to be charged additional 10% fee of the net fees charged ment department has also set the fees at Rs one-lakh for permission  to construct sewage treatment plants on land. THE GOAN I NETWORK vehicles and public transportation. Officials state the rising interest in hybrid vehicles is reportedly offering a fresh pathway to EV adoption. At the same time, the debate intensifies over the necessity of fully electric  vehicles, especially given the compliance of BS-VI engines, the norm set by the Central government. These engines, which significantly reduce harmful pollutants, prompted questions about whether EVs are needed when internal combustion engines are becoming nearly >Continued on P5 >Continued on P5 THE CHALLENGES AHEAD time of grant of Development Permission under section 44, it is observed that the building project and the accessibility shown to the buildings within the plot shall require cutting of hilly land ie. land having gradient more than 1:10 as defined in the TCP Act  and the same requires prior permission of the Chief Town 14 Ashwin scores ton as India recovers from early setback against Bangladesh Camurlim case: Govt upholds suspension of teacher MAPUSA The State government has upheld the suspension of a confirmed teacher involved in the alleged assault of a 9-year-old student at Shree Saraswati Vidyamandir Primary School, Camurlim. Meanwhile, the fate of another teacher, employed on a contractual basis, rests with the school management, which is expected to terminate her services following the incident. The contracted teacher’s term is set to end in October, but sources indicate that her employment may be terminated sooner due to her involvement in the assault on the young student, an act that has drawn widespread condemnation. After conducting hearings with both teachers and the school management, Director of Education Shailesh Zingde approved the suspension of the regular teacher involved in the incident. The suspension was mandated as the teacher had been detained for more than 48 hours following her arrest. „„Growing interest in hybrid vehicles and launch of BS-VI engines aimed at minimizing pollution „„High cost of EVs battery replacement and lack of public charging stations major obstacles „„Overall sale of vehicles plummet „„Sale of electric vehicles also register big dip focus on EVs accelerated. Whereas  in 2024-25 FY, the monthly average indicates that 4,546 non-electric vehicles and 805 EVs have been sold. A total of 4,026 EVs have been purchased up to August, with two-wheelers accounting for the majority at 3,494, followed by cars and jeeps at 525 and ‘other vehicles’ at 7. In comparison, approximately 22,730 non-electric  vehicles  were sold, with two-wheelers again dominating at 14,870, four-wheelers at 7,802, and 58 classified as other vehicles. These details exclude the rental, goods and emergency MPDA’S CONCERNS „„No hill cutting permission obtained from CTP (landuse) „„Width of access shown to the property not in compliance with the Goa Land Development and Building Construction Regulations „„Has utilized FAR to the extent of 200% for the property admeasuring 35,050 sq meters, which complainants claims they are not entitled to „„Complaints also relating to private forests SPORTS RUSH HOUR: Vehicles stuck in a traffic jam during the evening hours near the Panaji ferry point lead to frayed tempers among frustrated commuters on Thursday.  Narayan Pissurlenkar Govt cracks down on illegal fishing THE GOAN I NETWORK MAPUSA In a significant move to safeguard Goan waters from illegal fishing activities, the State government has established a dedicated enforcement team to monitor and intercept outstation fishing boats encroaching into the region’s maritime boundaries. Fisheries Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar, while addressing concerns raised by local fish- ermen, confirmed the formation of this specialised unit tasked with curbing the unauthorised activities of boats from neighbouring states. For some time now, local fishermen have voiced grievances over outstation boats entering Goan waters, often in bold defiance of the law, to engage in illegal fishing operations. These incursions not only disrupt the fishing ecosystem but also deprive local fisher- men of their rightful earnings. “These boats are depriving our fishermen of their livelihood. We need to protect our waters and the resources that our people depend on,” Halarnkar stated. Acknowledging the severity of the issue, Halarnkar emphasised that the government has taken a multi-pronged approach to address the challenge. >Continued on P5 Mhadei: K’taka writes Empty seats & fading cheers: ISL euphoria dying in Goa to PM for wildlife nod ROHIT BHANDIYE THE GOAN I PANAJI PTI BENGALURU Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide necessary clearance from the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), to expedite the execution of the Kalasa-Banduri project claiming that it is crucial for fulfilling the drinking water needs of north Karnataka district. In the letter dated September 18, which Karnataka CM shared on his X handle, he requested PM’s intervention to ensure that the Kalasa project receives the necessary wildlife clearances at the earliest. According to him, not only the project, which is crucial for fulfilling the drinking water needs of North Karnataka, has been pending for an unusually long time for Wildlife Clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), but the Goa Chief Wildlife warden has also passed an illegal order restraining Karnataka from undertaking any activities in it. He further stated that the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal Award was pronounced on August 14, 2018 and published in the Gazette of India on February 27, 2020. Siddaramaiah said in his letter that Karnataka has also challenged the Goa Wildlife Warden order in the Supreme Court, which is pending adjudication. S pectator turnout was very poor during FC Goa’s first home game at Fatorda on Tuesday as empty stands greeted the home side. Though Gaurs lost the match 2-1 to Jamshedpur FC, the match was attended by only 7,240 spectators. This is less than 40 percent of the total capacity of the stadium of 19,000. The North and North East part of the stadium was mostly empty, with very few spectators occupying the seats. These figures are infact the third lowest for any ISL match played at Fatorda, ever since the football league began in 2014. The buzz, excitement and festive atmosphere was clearly missing inside in the stadium. It’s a known fact that attendance of ISL matches have been on a decline. The average attendance figures at Fatorda for FC Goa’s home games have dropped drastically from 18,066 in 2014 to 8,642 in 2023-24 season. “Ticket prices are high. If prices are kept high, football loving Goan crowd will stay away from coming to the stadium. Instead, they will prefer watching the matches on mobile and TV,” rued Kunal Morajkar from Vasco, a die-hard FC Goa fan who has been attending ISL matches at Fatorda since 2014. “Prices must be reduced. Everyone cannot afford to pay higher prices for tickets. If tickets were distributed among college students for Rs 100 each, at least they would Date Fixture Attendance 5-Apr-24 FC Goa vs Hyderabad FC 6-Mar-24 FC Goa vs East Bengal FC 17-Sep-24 FC Goa vs Jamshedpur FC 21-Feb-24 FC Goa vs North East United FC 14-Mar-24 FC Goa vs Bengaluru FC 26-Jan-23 FC Goa vs East Bengal FC 27-Nov-23 FC Goa vs Jamshedpur FC 5-Jan-23 FC Goa vs Hyderabad FC have come and watch the match and cheered the home team. Ticket prices in other places like Kolkata, Chennai, 5,326 5,856 7,240 7,321 7,384 7,949 8,127 8,327 Guwahati and Bhubaneswar are much cheaper than what it is in Goa,” he said. Ticket prices at Fatorda starts at Rs 199 for North Lower and South South stands for this season. It is priced at Rs 399, 499, 699 and 999 for other stands. Another FC Goa supporter Xavier Dias from Margao said, “It is sad to see so many empty seats at the match today. We no longer get the feeling of an ISL match happening in Goa like what it used to be during initial ISL seasons when the stadium was packed to capacity. The organisers must do something to get the crowds back to the stadium.” Also it looks like departure of Goa’s star player Brandon Fernandes could have contributed to some extent the decline in attendance. “People have lost interest. There are hardly any Goan players in FC Goa team now. Brandon was my favourite. He has also left. We used to come to the stadium to cheer and see him play. He was the face of FC Goa. We badly need more Goans in FC Goa squad”, said Mario D’Silva from Benaulim, another FC Goa fan. Apart from Brandon Fernandes, Devendra Murgaonkar has also left FC Goa this season. While Brandon moved to Mumbai City FC, Devendra joined Hyderabad FC. “The season has just started. Today was the first home game for FC Goa. Hopefully, the crowd will pick up in the coming matches. Also injuries to key players like Sandesh Jhingan and Iker Guarrotxena must have kept the crowds away,” said Dominic Fernandes from Mapusa, another FC Goa supporter.